The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship is a Swiss not-for-profit organization founded in 1998 that provides platforms at regional, national, and global levels to promote social entrepreneurship.[1] The foundation is under the legal supervision of the Swiss Federal Government. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. Each year, it selects 20–25 social entrepreneurs through a global "Social Entrepreneur of the Year" competition.[2][3]
Hilde Schwab at the WEF Social Entrepreneurs Wrap-up in 2018
In 1998, Klaus Schwab and his wife Hilde decided to create the independent not-for-profit Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.[4] Its mission was to promote social innovation. This new foundation was complementary to the World Economic Forum,[5] founded by Klaus Schwab in 1971.[4]
Pamela Hartigan, who joined in October 2000, was its first managing director. The Foundation is financed from the initial endowment provided by the Schwabs plus grants and fees for services provided to individuals, foundations or companies.[6][7]
Activities
The Foundation identifies rising social entrepreneurs under the age of 40 through its Forum of Young Global Leaders and encourages the activists it recognizes to work together as a team. In this collaboration, ideas are shared and possible funding is attracted from companies, universities, or INSEAD. The activists can also win support from corporations and political and academic leaders.[8] The activists (260 people in 2013) serve on the Forum's Global Agenda Councils.[9][10] Case studies on specific social entrepreneurs are provided to leading academic institutions to incorporate into undergraduate and graduate-level courses.[1] Each year the Foundation selects 20-25 Social Entrepreneurs through a global “Social Entrepreneur of the Year” competition.[11] Winners include Mikaela Jade, for innovation in indigenous edu-tech.[12][13]
Allegations of employer misconduct and harassment at WEF
On June 29, 2024, The Wall Street Journal published an article, authored by staff reporters Shalini Ramachandran and Khadeeja Safdar, stating that WEF Founder Klaus Schwab is accused by former WEF employees of having engaged in two instances of sexual harassment. The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship is a wholly separate organization from WEF and is neither mentioned or the subject of the published Wall Street Journal article.
Board of directors
As of September 2024[update], the organization's Board of Directors consisted of:[14]
↑ Forum, World Economic (2019-07-26). "This is what is still holding social entrepreneurs back". The European Sting - Critical News & Insights on European Politics, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Business & Technology - europeansting.com. Retrieved 2019-08-02.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
